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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. march — music
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rock — a stone
  15. march — the month
  16. present — a gift
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — to get on
  23. rest — a break
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com